Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary on Tuesday distributed safety equipment and protective gear among the field staff of the Department of Information and Public Relations.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Choudhary highlighted the role of DIPR and said that it acts as an interface between Government, media and people at large. He said the department has been projecting, highlighting and disseminating the activities of the Government through various media.He said the department plays an important role at the time of disasters and natural calamities by providing real-time updates to the public related to rescue measures and keeping the public informed about the measures being taken by the government by reporting from the ground zero and also providing feedback to the government.He said the reporting section of the department has been working shoulder to shoulder with other departments and highlighted the performance of the government, besides acting as a bridge between the public and the government.
While distributing the safety kits to the field staff, Dr Choudhary said equipping the field staff will help the employees to work better during exigencies and it is the responsibility of the government to take care of the safety of the employees by providing them better facilities.Dr Choudhary said the district administration recently approved a comprehensive plan for the provision of safety equipment, protective gear, clothing, gloves, shoes, raincoats, protective jackets, helmets and essential items to 1210 field employees of several departments at an estimated cost of Rs 60 lakh, aimed at safety of officials during disaster management. It also approved cash reward for outstanding field officials.He said as a part of capacity building of departments for disaster management and effective public response financial support to the tune of Rs 60 Lakh has been provided for employees of Power Department, PWD, PHE, MED, Health, PMGSY, Revenue, Information and Public Relations apart from strengthening of field offices of Engineering Departments, Police and Revenue Superintendent of Police Sheikh Zulfikar Azad, District Information Officer Jahangir Ahmad Akhoon and other senior officials of the district were present on the occasion.